


wide out in the open

by dashandlily



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Development, Character Study, Coming Out, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School, High School Musical References, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Transphobia, Late at Night, Names, Nonbinary Seb Matthew-Smith, Opening Night, Other, Queer Themes, Seblos, Texting, but it’s a happy ending, may be triggering, no beta we die like men, non binary character, sebs mom comes around, trigger warning: implied transphobia from parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22625719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dashandlily/pseuds/dashandlily
Summary: Seb’s mother strolls over to the side of their bed after shutting their bedroom door behind her. She’s silent as she sits down on the plush mattress, facing away from her child. It only takes her a few moments to utter, “Is there a particular reason why —“ she sighs to herself, shaking her head, “Why you dislike being called Sebastian so much?”Seb looks up at their mother. They don’t know how to respond. They’re, quite literally, speechless.“I…”“Because if it’s what I think it is —““Wait — what do youthinkit is?”(or, the nb seb coming out fic i’ve been wanting to write since i started watching the show)
Relationships: Seb Matthew-Smith & Original Character(s), Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Comments: 10
Kudos: 79





	wide out in the open

**Author's Note:**

> if you have any sort of experience with transphobic/homophobic parental experiences and you think those themes could trigger you, please don’t read this ! it has a good ending but i’m aware that oftentimes, people don’t get the same ending that seb does with their parents and i’d like to sincerely point out before the story starts that i resonate with you and your experiences deeply, and that if by nobody else, you’re very very cared for by me ! 
> 
> anyways writing nb seb is cathartic (especially this story as it is very personal to me and my experiences) and u can try to pry them from my cold dead hands if u . seb’os content has been dying lately and i need more of it so there’s also some cute flirting of them in here, purely for my selfish, desperate, hungry heart 
> 
> (also i really told myself i’d stop at 2k...... yea that didn’t happen)
> 
> i don’t think there’s any other notes from me ? i hope u enjoy it !! :D

“Sebastian? Can you come downstairs for a minute and help your sisters?” Seb hears from the basement, and immediately groans, throwing their phone down on their bed. 

Ugh. 

When were they going to stop with this whole _Sebastian_ thing? How many times had they told their parents to use Seb? Was it really so difficult? 

“I don’t really want to!” They yell out, but eventually oblige and get up from their bed. It’s nearly ten at night on a Tuesday, so they really can’t imagine what on earth their sisters could possibly need from them _now_. 

As they make their way downstairs, they can hear their parents having a quick conversation between one another with two of their sisters sitting on the couch, a few pieces of paper splayed across the wooden coffee table in front of them. “What do you need?”

“Your sisters need some sort of homework help,” their mom says, looking past their father’s shoulder to Seb, “Can you help them, Sebastian? We’ve got quite a bit of chores to do, yet.” 

They look between their parents and their sisters, sitting on the couch together, still hunched over the homework pieces on the table. They could decline and pretend they don’t understand any fifth grade homework content because they, frankly, don’t want to help very much (hey, sue them, it’s nearly ten at night!) and because they were having fun messaging and laughing with all of their friends, or they could be a good sibling and please their parents and help the twins. 

Their mind says one thing, but their heart says another… 

“Fine — but why _Sebastian_? No one except you guys call me it anymore,” they complain, eyes solely on their parents, now. 

All their mom does is roll her eyes. 

Clearly it’s a lot more important to Seb than it is to their parents. 

“Your name is Sebastian,” she says finally, sighing, presumably out of frustration. She’s heard this a million times. “Seb isn’t your _name_ , and I gave birth to you. I will call you what I intended to call you when you were born. Nicknames are useless when you have a perfectly good real name. We’ve been over this, sweetheart.” 

Seb glares at their mom. “Right, but all of my teachers, friends and siblings call me _Seb_. It’s just you two, and it’s weird. I _hate_ Sebastian. Seb makes me happy.” 

“It’s your _name_. Sebastian is your _name_. You can’t change it, so there’s not much worth complaining about it, is there? It’ll only make us both tired.” 

Seb finally stomps away — away from their parents, defeated, as their mom sighs to their father — over to their sisters sitting on the couch. “What is it that you guys need help with?” 

“Math,” Cassidy says shortly, looking over to her sister. “I’m really no good at long division, and neither is Claire, so she can’t help me, either. Our teacher _sucks_ at explaining it!” 

Seb chuckles shortly, smiling down at their sisters as they sit down in the middle of the two of them on the couch. “I think I can manage to help you guys out a bit,” they say eventually, grabbing a pencil from the table as their sisters immediately thank them. “Fifth grade is tough, huh?” 

Both of the girls nod, and Seb gives them each a small, sympathetic smile. “It gets easier.” 

Cassidy huffs, presumably thankful for the assuration. Even if it wasn’t really the truth, it’s always good to try and lift spirits. Sometimes white lies are alright. 

“Seb,” Claire says eventually, after getting tired of the lull in the conversation as Seb quietly looks over the equations. “Why do you hate being called Sebastian so much?”

Seb freezes at her question, and then looks over at their sister. They stop writing. “Why?” 

“You’re always getting upset at mama and papa for calling you Sebastian. I don’t know why.” 

“Yeah, Sebby, why not?” Cassidy chimes in. 

Seb sighs. They’re not sure how to explain this to their sisters without them going and outing Seb to their parents. God, they _despise_ the name Sebastian — they couldn’t have been given a more masculine name at birth if their parents had tried. “Because — everyone at school calls me Seb, and it’s kind of weird to be called different things in different environments — sort of like how people call Cassidy Cas at school, but mom and dad say Cassidy at home.” 

_And because it’s a boy's name._

“Okay! We’ll keep calling you Seb here.” 

_If only everyone thought it was that easy_ , Seb thinks, and then looks over at their sister. “Thank you, Claire.” 

“You’re welcome! I love you!” 

Why couldn’t their mom be more like her?  
—  
If not even an hour later, Seb hears a heavy knock on their door. “Sebastian?” They finally hear, and they immediately groan. God, why can’t they just be left _alone_ for once in their life? It’s hard enough being the smack-dab middle sibling of a small classroom’s worth of kids — they get hardly any privacy, and even less downtime. 

“Yes?” 

Seb’s mother opens the door, looking around for her child, who is currently splayed across their bed, their phone clutched in their hand. “I just wanted to have a bit of a word with you.” 

Seb’s heart drops. There’s _definitely_ a universal feeling of dread among queer people when they hear _those words_ come out of someone’s — namely their parent’s — mouths, and they’ve heard about it more than enough times from their friends and from a variety of people online. God, they hope that isn’t what this is about…

“About?” 

They shut the messages app on their phone, and then lock the device — just for good measure. 

Seb’s mother strolls over to the side of their bed after shutting their bedroom door behind her. She’s silent as she sits down on the plush mattress, facing away from her child. It only takes her a few moments to utter, “Is there a particular reason why —“ she sighs to herself, shaking her head, “Why you dislike being called Sebastian so much?” 

Seb looks up at their mother. They don’t know how to respond. They’re, quite literally, speechless.

“I…” 

“Because if it’s what I think it is —“

“Wait — what do you _think_ it is?” 

Seb hates this. 

“I… I would rather not say it, Sebastian,” she says finally. 

Seb’s heart drops. “I just…” they shake their head. “I don’t like being called different things in different places. Everyone at school calls me one thing, and then you guys here call me another. It’s annoying.”

Seb’s mother rolls her eyes at Seb’s remark. “Nothing more? Because I can deal with that so long as that’s all it is.” 

God, how Seb wishes they could just _say it_. 

Instead, the words fall flat and they choke up a bit. All they can do is shake their head. 

“Good — good. I thought you were trying to, uh, you know, go by a different name.” 

“What does that mean?”

“You know what it means, Sebastian,” she says, pointedly looking at them. “A — a _girl’s_ name. It’s — it’s a very popular trend these days. I don’t want that for you. I don’t know why kids do it.” 

Seb freezes, but quickly realizes that may look a bit sketchy, so they try their best to play it off. “No.” 

“I’m glad.” 

“But —“ Seb says shortly, looking at their mother, dead in the eyes. “If I _was_ —“

Seb’s mother’s face falls. “Sebastian, please don’t tell me you’re…” she trails off, a very sour expression on her face. Seb wants to cry. 

_Well, not exactly, but…_

“I’m not, I’m not! I just — I don’t see why you care so much about what another kid might want to do. It doesn’t matter to you.” 

Seb’s mother is suddenly a bit taken aback — she definitely hadn't expected that to come from them. “I —“ she starts, unsure of how to respond. “I don’t see why you’re defending this.” 

“Because I’m not an —“ they start to say, but quickly cut themselves off before they get into even deeper trouble. “I’m not a bad person.” 

“Am I a bad person for thinking it’s wrong, Sebastian?”

They sigh. “I don’t think you’re a bad person, but I don’t think your opinion is very constructive, supportive nor inclusive, and therefore I… I think it’s wrong.” 

Seb’s mother stands from their bed. “I think we’re finished here,” she says, walking towards their door. “Goodnight, Sebastian.” 

And before they know it, their door is shut again, and they’re left alone in the suffocating silence of their bedroom. “It’s Seb,” they say — they _try_ to say — but the words die in their throat. 

_Is anybody awake still?_ Seb messages to the group chat that includes their entire friend group. Hopefully, out of the mass amount of people included in it, there’s _somebody_ awake to help them. 

They get multiple messages from people, replying with a variety of affirmatives. 

_My mom just came into my room and asked me if there was a reason I always get upset with her when she uses Sebastian_

_Nini: this already doesn’t sound like it’s going to end well_

_Youre right_

_She used it earlier tonight when she called me down for something and then a couple of my sisters talked to me about it_

_I'm guessing they talked to her afterwards? This is why I don’t talk to fifth graders about anything_

_Anyways now I think she is convinced that I’m trans (?) because she started arguing with me about how she doesn’t understand kids who “do that to themselves”_

_I couldn’t say it_

They finish, and then send a variety of sad emojis. Their stomach feels like it’s going to collapse in on itself. They feel sick. 

_Nini: i’m really sorry seb :(_

_los: We’re all here for you seb! <3_

_Kourt: That’s awful, I don’t blame you._

_It’s ok! I’m not trying to complain or anything I just :(_

_Nini: only you would “not be trying to complain” about something like this_

_I don't think I want her to see the show next week_

_Kourt: You’ve worked so hard on it though!_

_Nini: ^^_

_los: If you think she’ll give you a hard time if she does see it, I would recommend having her not come_

Seb groans. This is giving them such a headache. 

_She’ll definitely be suspicious if she sees me as Sharpay_

_I mean I know I’m not exactly trans but_

_Ricky: you’re close enough_

_Ricky: are u worried she’ll hurt u somehow? or just emotionally i guess_

_I don’t think so I just don’t want her to get upset with me_

_If she sees Sharpay I’ll never hear the end of it_

_Ricky: if you’re afraid something might happen she shouldn’t come, especially for your safety after the show is over_

_Nini: i really hate to say this but i would try and lay low from her for now, maybe until you’re a bit older and better able to support yourself if something bad does end up happening :(_

_los: Agreed to both_

_Ash: This is a really awful position to be put in, Seb. If something ever happens at home our doors are wide open! <3_

_Thank you guys, this all means a lot to me._

_I’m going to bed, I’ll see everyone tomorrow!_

_< 3_

Seb shuts their phone off as they get up to shut off the lights. As soon as they’re finished, they climb into their bed, and let out a small choke. They can’t cry over this. They’re stronger than that.  
—  
Somehow, Seb manages to lay low over the next week between their incident and the opening night of High School Musical, which they’re very grateful for. They haven’t corrected their parents at all, even though they desperately want to — except they know it's for the best that they don’t, at least until the show is over and they’re not part of Sharpay’s character anymore.

Except all of Seb’s work over the week nearly comes crashing down on them the day the show opens. 

Seb’s sitting in their third period class — English and Composition — and they’re supposed to be reading their novel except they’re _really_ not in the mood today, considering the show opens today — _tonight_! — and they’d much rather go over their choreo in their head for the next six hours until it’s time to perform instead of reading. 

And then they get a message from their mom, and the mentally-running-choreo idea is out the window.

_Mom: Sebastian, are there still tickets for the show tonight? I can’t believe you didn’t tell us it opened today._

And their heart sinks. They look around the room, mentally cursing the world for having them a year younger than the majority of their friends. 

They suppose screenshotting the message will have to do, and they send it to their group chat with a caption of, _What do I say??_

_los: Tell her it’s sold out already._

Before Seb can even respond to Carlos’s message, they see they’ve gotten another message from their mom. The preview of the message was, _Just called the office and spoke to one of the secretaries. They told me…_

And now they have to brace themselves to open it, because they just have the _worst_ feeling. There’s no way they can perform with their mom and dad watching. 

_Mom: Just called the office and spoke to one of the secretaries. They told me that there are still tickets available to come and watch tonight. Me and your father will come. Will see if Isabelle will join as well. Even though you’re the only one in the family in these kinds of extra-curriculars, we would still like to come and watch the show. Still can’t believe you didn’t tell us._

Seb wants to cry, right here, in the middle of their English class. After all of the effort they’ve put into the show — all seventy four _painstakingly long_ rehearsals to get everything _just right_ — and their mom was going to swoop in and take all of that away from them, just like that? 

They screenshot her new message and send it the theatre chat’s way. They can’t believe this. 

_los: Seb are you sure it’ll be that bad if she sees you as Sharpay? It’s not like you chose your character, maybe she’ll understand that?_

They read Carlos’s message, and then look down at their hands, briefly. They’re shaking. 

_I really don’t think she’s going to like it_

_Nini: seb, you can’t let this ruin your show. this is your show! you've worked so hard on it and you deserve to have a fantastic opening night despite your mom and dad who want to come_

_Nini: think of all the trans and n-b kids who will resonate with you playing sharpay tonight. they’ll see your performance and they’ll see somebody who they can connect to! someone who’s representing them! isn’t that what’s most important?_

_Of course I think that’s important, and I really really want to do that but…_

_I don’t want my family to hate me_

_los: I don’t think they’re going to hate you seb…_

_Kourt: You can’t let this ruin your night. Be so unapologetically yourself up there that your family has no choice but to watch you and be proud_

And the bell rings. God, thank _God_ it’s lunch. 

Seb quickly packs up their novel (that they didn’t read a word of today) and papers and makes a beeline to the cafeteria downstairs. By the time they arrive, half of the group is already sitting at their table, idly chatting, until Carlos spots them from across the cafeteria and waves them over. 

“Did you message her back?” He asks Seb immediately, shifting over to let Seb sit once they arrive. 

Seb responds with a sigh, and then a small, “I don’t know what to say.” 

“Either you lie to her somehow, or you just… live with it and let her see the show,” says Ricky, looking across the table to Seb. “We don’t have a Sharpay understudy, so you’ve gotta play the role.” 

Seb groans, muttering an, “I know,” to themselves, and then putting their head down on the table. “I just…”

“What’s wrong?”

Seb raises their head. “I don’t know. I just really don’t have a very good feeling about it, I mean… the way she talked to me the other night? It’s like she’d rather have a murderer as a child over a queer one. I’m going to have no choice but to tell her.” 

“You’d think a parent with as many kids as your family has would be more used to the fact that at least one of their children would end up being queer somehow,” Ashlyn says, shooting Seb a sympathetic smile. She’d never experienced any of this when she was coming out to her family — mostly because they weren’t really around much — but it still sucked, seeing one of her best friends having to go through this. She really felt for them, except she didn’t know how to solve this issue. There weren’t very many options at this point. 

“I know! I don’t know why they think a family with as many kids as we have would magically have all cis-het kids. I just have no idea how I’m going to endure her talk tonight after the show. I wasn’t prepared to face this right now.” 

Carlos reaches underneath the table and grabs Seb’s hand, silently squeezing it in support. “It’ll be okay. Kourt already said… be so yourself that they have no choice but to accept it.”  
—  
“Half an hour, people!” Someone shouts, but Seb doesn’t need it. They’ve had their phone grasped in their shaking hand for the past hour, waiting for something, _anything_ , from their parents. A message of support, they were really hoping for, or maybe even a cancellation…?

Yeah, they knew that one would maybe be a bit far-fetched.

Seb’s dressed up in their outfit and makeup (courtesy of Kourt, obviously!), and if their parents weren’t sitting in the auditorium right now, they know they’d feel like they could run the world in it. Except, instead, they sort of feel like they’ve never felt more self-conscious in their life. 

How will their parents react? Will they understand it’s just the role Seb got casted in? Will they yell at them as soon as they all shut the doors of the car after the show finishes tonight? Will they never say a word to them again? 

They’re not so sure they can perform tonight. Their head is too filled with clutter and bad thoughts. 

“Seb,” they hear suddenly, and they quickly snap back into reality. They feel warm hands on their shoulders, so they look into the mirror they’re sitting in front of, and they see Carlos’s face grinning at them through the reflection. “You know you’re going to absolutely _kill it_ tonight, right?”

“I don’t know,” they say softly, and break the mirror-gaze they’re sharing with Carlos.  
They feel his hands begin to massage their shoulders. 

“You look amazing,” says Carlos, gently rubbing his thumb into Seb’s shoulder. “I mean it. You look so _Seb_.” 

“Is that a good thing?” They ask, giving Carlos a small chuckle. They relax a bit into Carlos’s actions. 

Carlos hums in affirmation, “It’s pretty badass, I think. You’re going to be amazing. Think of the kids sitting out there who’ll see a non-female _Sharpay Evans_ and will think, _hey, that person up there is just like me_! You’re doing it for _them_. You don’t need to think about _anybody else_ but them, you hear me? Especially not your family. They don’t matter right now.” 

Seb nods, breathing out a sigh. “I know. I hear you,” they say, looking back up into the mirror, catching Carlos grinning down at them. They turn their head around to look at Carlos for real, and pull back a bit when they realize how close their faces are to each other. “I hear you.”

Both of them laugh a bit about it, and then Carlos leans in again, giving a small kiss to the side of Seb’s mouth, mumbling a small, “You’re going to kill it, honey. Trust me.” 

Seb only hums back in affirmation, smiling up at Carlos. 

“I promise it’ll be okay.”

Once curtains were called and Seb was instructed to leave their phone behind, they missed the message from their mom, trying to explain to Seb that the school must have gotten the cast list wrong and that their name had been put next to the wrong character’s title. After all, there was no way her son could be playing _Sharpay_ , right?  
—  
Seb concludes that they’ve never felt more nervous in their life, the minute they step off stage after the bows have ended. They didn’t try and look for their mom and dad in the crowd once during the entire show — they figured actually seeing them would make them even more nervous. 

Carlos is sitting in Seb’s chair right after the show, and Seb easily concludes that immediately seeing Carlos after the show was the best thing they could’ve had happen. As soon as Carlos hears the cast trampling back into the change room, he springs up to go and find Seb, who’s already halfway to the chair. “You killed it, Seb!”  
He immediately shouted, running up to his partner and giving them a tight hug. “I bet there were so many kids who really needed your performance tonight.”

Seb hesitantly wraps their arms around Carlos’s body, feeling a bit self conscious in front of the rest of the cast swarming into the room. None of them say anything, though, for which Seb is very grateful — they really need this moment. 

“I’m going to have to face them soon, Los,” they say, groaning silently into Carlos’s shoulder and pulling away. 

Carlos furrows his eyebrows at Seb, pausing a moment, then deciding to pull them close again to give them a short kiss on their lips. He then gives them one more on the side of their mouth, just for good measure. “Not right this minute, you don’t.” 

Seb sighs again, grinning up at Carlos. “Thank you.” 

Carlos mimics their partner’s face. “Of course.”

When Seb gets the chance to grab their phone and see if they’ve missed any notifications, they see they have two messages from their mother, and their heart finally drops from the adrenaline from the show. All of the singing, the dancing, the crowd’s cheers… 

All of it was gone as they read their mother’s messages.

Sent just fifteen minutes before the show started, they read, _Mom: I think the program coordinators got your name wrong, underneath the wrong character. Your name seems to be placed underneath Sharpay Evans’ character. Will have to look into that! Good luck tonight, my sweet boy._

And then the latter of the two, sent eight minutes ago. _Your sister, father and I are waiting in the car when you’re ready._

They blink down at their phone. “Carlos?” They ask into nothingness, turning around on their heel. “Carlos?” 

Carlos turns around from the big group conversation he was in to see who was calling his name, and then his gaze falls on Seb. They quickly run out of the group without explanation, over to Seb, quickly sputtering, “What’s wrong? What happened?” 

All Seb can do is hand Carlos their phone, their chin wobbling slightly. They can’t do this. Not alone. 

Carlos quickly scans over the messages and then looks up at Seb. His partner. His beautiful, amazingly talented partner, whom he loves with all of his heart and more. “I’m going to come with you.” 

“Would you?” Seb whispers, reaching back for their phone. Carlos hands it back. “Please?”

Carlos immediately nods, without even a second thought crossing his mind. It’s the least he can do for Seb during a time they clearly really need him — or someone — in. 

“Absolutely. We’ll get the whole cast in on it if you want. I’m here for you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”  
—  
Seb can’t get themselves to stop shaking the whole time they’re getting changed and getting rid of any and all evidence of makeup from their face. Every moment that passes means a moment closer to facing their family outside, and they’re really not looking forward to it. 

Carlos waits next to them the entire time, trying to get their mind off of the situation. Seb really appreciates it, but ultimately, they can’t get it off of their mind. It's not going to happen until they face the music. 

Seb eventually gathers up the courage to pick up their belongings and slings their backpack over their shoulder, taking one final glance at their section of the counter, making sure it’s clean and organized for the next performance. “I guess we have to go now.” They say, groaning slightly. 

Carlos grabs their hand and squeezes. “I’m here with you, at least. Maybe not to go home, but I’ll sit in your car and be there with you until you leave.” 

Seb nods, squeezing his hand back. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you, Los.” 

“You more, honey.”  
—  
Seb drops Carlos’s hand as soon as they step outside, spotting their family’s car. They see their mother and father in the front, and they’re assuming Isabelle is sitting in the back. They seem to be talking. 

Seb walks Carlos to the car, giving their mother a small smile through the window. She unlocks the door. 

“About time. Who… is this?” 

“Carlos,” they say quickly, “I want to explain everything and, frankly, I want him here so you don’t lose it on me.” They explain, getting into the car and sitting in between their sister, letting Carlos get in right after. “As long as he’s here, you can’t really yell at me. Moral support or whatever.” 

Seb’s mother unlocks her seatbelt and turns around in her seat, looking at her child and their friend. She gives Carlos a small smile. “Good to meet you.” 

“You too, Mrs. Matthew-Smith.” 

Seb sits in the quiet until their mother finally speaks. “I thought they made a mistake when I saw the program.”

“They didn’t,” Seb finally says. 

“I saw,” she says, nodding, “Seb.” 

Seb freezes, and then turns to Carlos with a stunned look on their face, incredulously mouthing, “Seb?” to him. 

“You’ve never called me that before,” they say finally, and they hear Isabelle suck in a short breath next to them. Isabelle is their oldest sister who’s already graduated from high school, and she’s the only one out of all of their siblings who knows they’re non-binary. She loves them, and she’s always supported them. 

She’s clearly just as nervous for this to unfold as Seb and Carlos seem to be. 

“They listed you as Seb in the program,” she says, turning around in her seat once more. “I never realized they would use a nickname.” 

“They use whatever you tell them you prefer to be called. Nini’s name is Nina, but it’s listed as Nini, same with Ricky. E.J. isn’t E.J.’s real name, either. I… don’t know why I wouldn’t use what makes me comfortable.” 

“Is playing Sharpay a part of this?” She finally asks. “Why did you play a woman?” 

Seb swallows thickly. “Obviously I didn't choose my own role. I was casted in it.” 

“I see,” she says. “And you were pleased with your role?” 

Seb shrugs, turning to Carlos. They grab onto his hand considering the darkness of the vehicle. It makes them feel the slightest bit better. “I mean, I’ve never been casted as a lead before, so I guess so?”

“I mean that it was a female character, Seb. Not just as a lead.” 

They squeeze Carlos’s hand. Their heart feels a bit warm. She’s never used Seb to refer to them before — never _ever_. Carlos squeezes back. 

“I… it was fine,” they say finally. Because it was. 

“You _seemed_ to be very happy in your role tonight,” she notes, but it’s not accusatory. 

“I was.” 

“I’m glad.” 

Seb’s not sure they hear her right. “You’re _glad_?”

“Of course I’m glad,” she says, almost defensively. “I always want my kids to be happy.” 

Seb pauses. They’re not sure if they should bring this up, but hey — they’ve got Carlos right by their side, and they figure… well, if not now, then when? “Then what were you trying to talk about last week, when you asked me if I wanted to be a girl, and you replied as if it would have been the most awful thing in the world?”

Their mother sighs. “I did a bit of thinking,” she says after a moment. “I think I acted a bit out of shock. I don’t… think it would be a bad thing. As you said, it isn’t very constructive or supportive, and so I’ve re-evaluated my thoughts like a parent should.” 

Carlos lets out a small gasp, and Seb looks over at him immediately. They both squeeze each other’s hands, and Seb swears they hear Carlos say, “Do it!” 

Seb’s heart flutters a bit. This is unbelievable. “I’m not transgender,” they say at last. “But I’m not…”

She only nods to herself. “I’m not completely sure I understand what you’re getting at.” 

“I’m not a boy, either,” they say, and they feel Carlos drop their hand to give them a squeeze on their knee. They smile a bit, and then they feel their sister squeeze their shoulder in solidarity, too. There’s absolute love radiating throughout the backseat of this car. 

Carlos is unbelievably proud of his partner right now. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to express his pride for being able to be the boyfriend of this _incredibly_ amazing person. He’ll never be able to commend their bravery enough. Ever, probably. 

She nods again. “Is there a word for this?”

“Non-binary,” they say. “It’s… kind of like neither, or in between both. I use they instead of him or he at school. That’s why, uh, why I’ve really not liked Sebastian. It's too…” 

“Too _boy_?” She asks. 

Seb agrees. They hear Carlos mumble a semblance of, “I’m so proud of you, Seb,” into their ear, and they sort of feel like bursting into tears, but in a really good way. 

God, they can’t even believe this is actually working out. 

“I still love you,” says their mother, her voice strong. “I do. Very much. It’ll take a bit to get used to, but I will try as hard as I can. Is that okay?” 

Seb bites on their lip, nearly getting out a sob of happiness. “Very okay.”

“Good.” 

Carlos leans into Seb’s side, pressing a small kiss to their shoulder. 

“Uh, while we’re on this really good note,” Seb starts quickly, before they can back out of it, looking over at Carlos, “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Seb!” Exclaims Carlos quickly, widening his eyes at his partner. 

“It felt right!” Seb exclaims back, using the same tone of voice as Carlos. Their sister laughs beside them. 

“He’s going to have to be introduced to everybody at home now,” says their mother, but she has an edge of softness to her voice. “And he’s never staying in your room if he’s ever over for a night.” 

Seb and Carlos both thank the Lord that it’s pitch dark outside, because the flush on their respective faces is unbelievable as they all burst out laughing, Isabelle scolding their mother for suggesting what she had. 

“I’m being honest! He’s welcome to the family, but he’s never sleeping in your bedroom, Seb.” Then, their mother breaks out into a small giggle as well. 

“Got it, mom!” 

“Do you?”

“Yes — _yes_.” Seb says quickly, leaning into Carlos’s side. “I think that’s an invitation to stay the night tonight,” they whisper into his ear, and Carlos only laughs.

“Will I get a chance to see you at all?” He whispers back, nudging Seb’s arm with his own.

Seb ponders for a moment, “Probably not, but tomorrow we can get up early and see the animals and then watch HSM together?”

“It sounds perfect, Seb.” 

“Sounds like we’re ready to get home?” Seb’s father asks from the driver's seat, looking into the rear-view mirror at the three teenagers in the backseat. 

“Yeah, we’re good,” Seb says. 

They don’t see it, but their mother smiles. 

“I’m so proud of you, Seb.” They hear in their ear, and a flood of warmth washes over their body. 

This has been the perfect ending to opening night.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u sm sm for reading !! id love to hear y’alls experiences if this resonated at all with you as it’s a very special story to me personally ! thanks again ! :DD
> 
> (tumblr: andimackthemacktheseries)


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